Stargazing
by I'mSolidSnaek
Summary: Even after the war against Giegue is over, Ninten and the others are irreversibly changed. They all share the burden of memories that keep them up. During one of these sleepless nights, two friends stumble upon each other on a hill.


**Hi everyone, and welcome to my second fanfic on here. It won't be as humorous as my previous one, but it hopefully will still be good. Basically, this is trying to analyze how the events of Earthbound: Beginnings/Mother 1/Earthbound Zero affected the team overall in the long-term.**

 **Now, a big thank you to all who reviewed my previous fic, and I hope you enjoy this one.**

 **Also, on a sad note, the anniversary of 9/11 was just yesterday. May we offer our condolences to those who were left without a family member, and may those who died on that day rest in peace.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story: Nintendo owns the series, characters, and songs.**

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It was hard to believe the two weeks that changed his life forever was only two months ago. So many questions he had were answered… yet so many more had popped up.

Ninten sighed as these thoughts rampaged through his head. Things were much simpler before he set out on his 'adventure' to find the cause of the mysterious disturbances around the world. But did he regret doing it? No, he did not.

But sometimes, he had to wonder… that encounter with Giegue had changed his perspective on the known universe drastically. Before those events he thought that if there were any aliens out there, why would they waste the effort to come down and attack humanity? There were so many other planets out there that could fulfill the same role, so wasting the resources to destroy life on Earth would just be stupid. So he simply dismissed the possibility of an alien invasion.

But now… after coming face to face with the one raised by his great-grandparents and learning the reason they came, he couldn't help but wonder about aliens. What kinds were out there? Are the civilizations they built be anything like on Earth? Would their nature be similar to humans: Capable of the most horrific evil, yet at the same time possess the greatest degree of compassion?

But even those paled in comparison to his less philosophical yet personally important questions that were the ones that surged through his head the most and had the most drastic psychological effect. It was questions like these that would keep him awake at night, and developing a habit that he would never have considered if it weren't for the war.

He would sometimes sneak out at night to stargaze on top of the hill close to their house, such as tonight for instance.

His great-grandparents George and Maria went into outer space and the aliens' ships after being abducted so they could raise Giegue. Maria in particular seemed to have done a superb job since it was only with her love that Giegue was beaten off. Ninten, despite his tendency to fight dirty, hated manipulating love like that, but it was a necessary evil in the face of extinction, even though only he and a handful of other people even knew of the threat.

He wondered what space was like for them, what the aliens' spaceships looked like on the inside, how comfortable were they to live in, how their government worked, and other questions regarding their culture and everyday life.

Ninten shook his head. It would do no good to speculate about that, however interesting it may be. But still, he often wondered about Giegue, about how the final battle had affected the alien commander psychologically, about his final words. _"I will… sometime… Ninten! We SHALL meet again!"_

Ninten wondered if Giegue would live up to his words. Would he have to fight him again? Or would a new generation take over the fight? After all, the aliens probably lived longer lives due to more advanced technology so they could return and all their work would be undone. It was only by their pitifully small numbers, arrogance, and luck that they were able to defeat them. Ninten seriously doubted they would make the same mistake twice.

Often times, he wondered if he was crazy, like the whole 'adventure' thing was just a fragment of his imagination, a result of his imagination becoming reality. But every time that happened, simply seeing or hearing Loid, Ana, or Teddy, or looking at his journal entries would remind him that it was all true.

Ninten's train of thought prevented him from hearing the soft footsteps approaching his position on the top of the hill. The new arrival gently smiled at the sight of her boyfriend gazing into the heavens intently, wrapped up in thought. She kneeled right behind him and stuck her head right in his line of vision. She witnessed Ninten's eyes widen slightly in surprise.

"Hey Ninten," she spoke. "I didn't expect to see you out here this late."

Ninten recovered from the shock of seeing his girlfriend right above him, and sat up once she removed her head from above him. "Good evening Ana," he greeted. "I didn't expect you to drop by here at this time of night."

"Isn't it a bit late to be calling it 'evening'?" Ana asked curiously.

Ninten gave a small smile. "Yes, it is," he replied. "But as a greeting it doesn't sound as awkward as 'good night'. Saying that as a greeting would sound really stupid."

Ana laughed at his reply, knowing full well how true it was. "True, true," she said. "But can I ask what are you doing out here?"

Ninten sighed as he once again looked thoughtful. "Ever since that battle with Giegue… there have been so many questions that I never asked before. Sometimes, I recall memories of battles as I lay in bed, for some reason it's more frequent as time goes on. Naturally I rarely ever get to sleep easily when that happens, so I come out here to think, and maybe sleep if I'm not careful."

"I know how that feels," Ana replied. "Sometimes, those thoughts just overwhelm me and I lose focus on whatever I am trying to do. I know it was the right thing to do…" Ana shook her head slightly, "but that doesn't make me feel any less guilty about taking their lives, about manipulating Giegue's love like that, about the war in general… in fact, that's the reason I'm here tonight: those thoughts were keeping me up. How do you deal with it?" she asked.

Ninten sighed. "To be honest, I can't do much besides tell myself that we did what we had to do, and that the aliens weren't exactly innocent either: Their actions would've caused the extinction of humanity if we did not take action." Ninten thoughtfully responded. "These thoughts also disturb me enough to stay up all night, though stargazing usually helps; hence why you found me here. Also, talking to someone else can help too: I can talk with my parents about it, and they'll listen, and I'm sure your parents would too. Me, you and Loid and Teddy as well can listen and sympathize."

Ana decided to talk about the most traumatizing moment from the war for her. "Probably the time I was most scared was on Mount Itoi where we went up against that robot with EVE," she shuddered. "We already fought two robots similar to that one. The first time we only won because he had a tank, (which I still don't know how we operated) and the second time Loid bailed us out. This time, the scenario didn't match either of the ones before, and-"

"Ana, you're rambling again," Ninten smirked as Ana's cheeks burned red (though the darkness made it difficult to tell). Ninten coughed before throwing in his two cents on the matter. "Still, that was definitely one of the times I honestly thought we weren't gonna make it," Ninten agreed. "We were so outmatched the last time, and this time even EVE was barely scratching it. And you know how I reacted after EVE was destroyed…" Ninten trailed off, and then decided to make his own admission. "But the scariest for me was when my lamp attacked me. It was just… so sudden, and I was caught completely by surprise. Plus, it was my very first battle."

"In my first battle I didn't feel terrified like you described," Ana replied. "But then again you and Loid were also fighting." Ninten nodded.

"There's something about battling alongside someone that makes you more confident, especially if the person is a veteran." Ninten concluded. "I can't really explain it, but it's just seems… reassuring that you have somebody you know that will watch your back."

Ana nodded and both teens fell into silence. She didn't really have anything else to say on the subject, but she wanted to keep talking, but about what?

She settled for catching up since they last saw each other two weeks ago. "So how have you been lately?" Ana asked, restarting the conversation.

"I've been pretty good," Ninten replied. "Back in school, so I don't have as much time as I did before. Other than that, just hanging out with an old friend and joking on how people are idiots."

Ana couldn't help but laugh on the last one. "You haven't changed that much, have you?" she teased.

Ninten looked at her in mock hurt. "Hey, I'm not as insensitive as I used to be!" he pointed out. "Plus, I spend a lot more time thinking about the universe than I used to; I think those two things count for something." He paused before continuing. "Besides, you're noticeably more confident than when you started out, and you just teased me. I think you've changed a bit yourself."

"True true," Ana conceded. "I guess experiences like that do that to you. Seeing what death and destruction are really like up close would scar someone for the rest of their life. It would make them appreciate life more and maybe if more people appreciate life to a greater degree then maybe they wouldn't get upset about such trivial things and-"

"Rambling for the second time tonight," Ninten chuckled. Ana's face again lit up like a bonfire. "Hey, don't feel too bad," he said. "It's one of those things that makes you… you." Feeling Ninten's arms wrap around her in a hug, Ana smiled shyly as she hugged back. "You know something?" Ninten asked. "We would never have met if it weren't for the war." As Ninten backed away a minute later, a sudden thought hit Ana.

"Hey, I have an idea," Ana perked up. Ninten cocked his head in curiosity. "Do you have your ocarina on hand now?

Ninten felt around in his pockets, and pulled out his ocarina. "I dunno why I bring it with me all the time," Ninten said. "Maybe just as a reminder of what we went through together," he mused.

"How about a duet?" Ana suggested, answering Ninten's curiosity. "You know, with _Pollyanna?_

Ninten nodded. "Sounds good to me," he answered as he brought up the ocarina to his mouth.

Both teens took a deep breath before beginning, a dramatic pause to set their minds on their task. Then Ninten began blowing the first notes. Shortly after he began, Ana joined in singing the lyrics to the song.

It was a beautiful tune. Both Ninten and Ana proved in the past to be proficient with their respective methods of playing, and it truly showed. Ninten's notes were in tune and correct, with him quietly smiling with his eyes closed, the notes echoing to the bottom of the hill. Ana also had her eyes closed, and her voice could be heard to anybody trying to listen along the breeze, and was as soft as the breeze in question. Alas, nobody was trying to listen, but it was still a testament to her singing abilities.

Ninten supposed that if it were before meeting Loid and Ana, he would have viewed the song as 'cheesy' since he only really had one friend before them. Plus, he always expected the worst, since the worst seemed to happen to him quite frequently. With him recognizing the importance of comradery, he was glad he learned how to play this song only a month ago, from Ana no less.

Ana on the other hand had learned this song when she was a child. This song she would sing whenever she would get homesick and remind herself of her parents, cheering herself back up again. Needless to say, she vowed not to forget such a precious thing to her.

But no matter how much both teens enjoyed themselves, or how much their thoughts occupied their heads, they eventually reached the end of the song. Both Ninten and Ana became quiet simultaneously. Now, only the owls and other nocturnal insects could be heard, as they sat in silence.

Finally, Ninten broke that silence. "I know I've told you this before, but you really do have a damn good singing voice."

"It's not that good," Ana replied, glancing away while blushing.

Ninten shook his head. "Don't sell yourself short," Ninten said. "But, it's good you have humility; it's probably one of the key reasons why other people take a shine to you quickly."

"Really?" Ana asked.

"I may be a jerk, but I _never_ intentionally say something that I don't mean... When I'm not being sarcastic," Ninten smirked, but the effect was ruined by a soft yawn from him.

"I guess we're finally getting worn down," Ana giggled. "How about we stargaze for a little bit now?"

Ninten's nod was all the answer she needed.

Both teens plunked themselves down on the grass, both facing the seemingly infinite black sky, Ninten reached out with his right hand toward Ana. She responded by gently clasping it with her left.

As they lay in silence, hands intertwined, Ninten not for the first time thought of how lucky he was. Ana was a wonderful friend to him, someone that he connected with exceptionally well even from the beginning despite their personalities. She was far from perfect, but so was he. They both suffered through pain, and yet that pain gave way to memories, whether it is fond or painful, things they could learn from.

Ninten turned his head towards Ana to check on her. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was soft but steady. Asleep, Ninten concluded. Smiling a little, he closed his eyes to drift off right beside her.

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 **Whew, that's done. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this one and I'll see you all again. If you have any pointers, I would gladly listen as well. Have a good day!**


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